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All posts for the month December, 2007

GLOWING ACHIEVEMENTCats that glow in the dark may be seen by some as merely a novelty, buttheir successful cloning is a significant breakthrough. If our owngovernment were more supportive of science and education it might havebeen Americans rather than Koreans who accomplished it.

The ability of cats to glow in the dark could be a safety advantage forthem and the humans around them. How many cat-owners have tripped overor stepped on a cat napping in the dark? There might be energy-saving usesas well. Although it would probably take a lot of cats for enough lightto read by, they might substitute for night-lights.

Of course the successful experiment goes well beyond florescent felines.It may be possible to insert other beneficial characteristics, like resistance to diseases, stronger bones and teeth, and greater longevity, into other species, including humans.

Progress marches on._______________________________

WHAT IS FAIR BALL?

We are hearing a lot of rhetoric lately about steroid use in baseball. Of course steroids are not good for long-term health, and using them should be discouraged. But it seems the concern is not for the players, but because ‘performance enhancers’ are considered ‘cheating’.

People, encouraged by the media that profit by it, love to idolize celebrities of all sorts. They are also quick to conduct witch-hunts when those celebrities are found to have human failings. But the concept of regulating what professional sports players can or can’t ingest should be considered carefully.

Obviously, the nature of the sports industry puts extreme pressure on players to perform well. Mediocrity is failure. We should first consider the reasons a player would risk his or her health for a little more power and speed. Perhaps we will find that team owners and others who profit, including the media, see sports only as a money machine, and take them far too seriously.

Why not treat the causes of th extreme pressure to perform? Sports should be fun for the players and for the fans. The organizations built around that should be non-profit. Teams should be encouraged in every city, giving many more players an opportunity. Players wouldn’t make huge salaries, but ordinary people could afford tickets.

We should also consider, when intruding into players’ bodies to analyze their chemistry, just where it may start and end. Why is coffee or cola or Gatorade ok, but other stimulants aren’t? What about extra vitamins, or ginseng?. Ginko helps prevent altitude sickness– it that cheating if you’re a mountain climber? What about painkillers for sore joints and muscles? We may develop genetic enhancements that don’t even involve drugs. Will they ban those too?

It is likely that very little thought will take place. There will be many accusations, some based only on the assumption that if a player excelled, he must have had help. It will be a witch hunt. Personally, I’ll try to ignore it. It’s been years since I’ve been able to afford a ticket to a game, anyway.

–captain rat~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~WISDOM OF THE SAGES

* If at first you don’t succeed, redefine success.

* I think sex is better than logic, but I can’t prove it.

* Good Health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.